Hand Sanitizer from Banana Stem Extract

Hand Sanitizer from Banana Stem Extract

By : Erwinsyah Utama

Hygiene is an early stage to maintain a healthy lifestyle and avoid illness. In order for us to always be clean and avoid illness, we need to know which medium is the entrance of disease into the body. One of the media that is very likely to be the entrance of the disease into the body is hands. Various types of viruses, bacteria and fungi stick to the hands of each day through physical contact with dead objects as well as living objects. According to WHO and the chairman of Indonesian infection control nurse, the hand is one of the entrance of germ disease into the body. WHO Data shows, the hand contains bacteria that amount to 39,000 – 460,000 CFU/cm² A high-potential cause of infectious infections and contributed to 3.5% of the total deaths in Indonesia.

Prevention of the spread of bacteria, viruses and fungi is most appropriate by washing your hands using soap and water flowing. Hand washing is one of the sanitation measures by the use of fingers using water or other liquids by humans with the aim to be clean. However, there is one other way that is not less effective by using an antiseptic hand sanitizer. 

Antiseptic hand sanitizer is a product of the current society, because it is easy to carry and easily obtained or available in the market. The use of hand sanitizer is very easy by dripping the gel on the palm and then leveling it to the palm surface. The excess hand sanitizer can kill germs in relatively fast time, because it contains alcohol compounds with concentrations of 60% to 80% and phenol group (chlorhexsidine, Triklosan). The compound contained in the hand sanitizer has a mechanism of action by denatured and coagulation of germ cells proteins.

As an antiseptic, alcohol has an excess that is volatile, so it does not take a long time to dry out when it is injected into the hands. But it is also a weakness, because its effectiveness is only short-term, so that the bacteria can only be reduced in a short time after the use of antiseptics. Alcohol on hand sanitizer is only effective to kill bacteria only, but not against viruses and fungi. Therefore, hand sanitizer products generally add other active substances that are capable to kill fungi and viruses. Usually, another active substance added to the hand sanitizer product is a compound of phenols. The compounds of the phenols used in the hand sanitizer are generally triklosan with a rate of 0.05% up to 2%. Triklosan can slow the growth of bacteria is also antifungal and antiviral. However, the product of alcohol Handsanitizer and triklosan (in high concentrations) if used excessively and continuously can be harmful and cause irritation to cause burning burn on the skin. Therefore, it is necessary for additional materials to use Triklosan in hand sanitizer products quite small content so that the hand sanitizer product becomes safer to use. One effort to reduce the usage rate of Triklosan contained in the product antiseptic hand sanitizer is to innovate using plant extracts that exist in nature containing antibacterial properties, for example banana stem. 

The compound content of the banana plant stem in the form of a complex secondary metabolite, which is antibacterial. The substance that serves as an antibacterial in the banana stem consists of saponins, flavonoids, and tannins. Saponin is able to act as an antibacterioter, while the flavonoids play a role in inhibiting the growth of fungi by causing impaired permeability of fungal cell membranes. In addition, tannins are a natural antiseptic substance that can inhibit bacterial growth by raising protein denaturation and lowering the surface tension. Therefore the stem of the Banana plant can be utilized as the basic ingredient of making antiseptic hand sanitizer. To make hand sanitizer made from banana rod is not very difficult, the way is as follows:

1. Firstly, the banana stem that has been taken must be dried first to remove the moisture content. Drying Banana rod should not be done in direct sunlight because it will be able to remove the active substances contained in the banana stem.
2. After drying, cut the banana stem until small size.
3. Once cut into small pieces, puree the banana stem using a blender to become a powder.
4. Banana stems that have been in the form of powders are then soaked in alcohol. Let this process last for 2 days so that the entire active substances can be extracted.
5. Once left for 2 days, take the extract/Filtratnya in a filtered way. The banana stem extract is then added with Triklosan.
6. Banana Stem Extract that has been added Triklosan can already be used as a hand sanitizer. However, if we want a hand sanitizer in the form of a gel it is necessary to add carbomer and glycerin. The addition of Carbomer and glycerin on making a hand sanitiser made of banana plants is a function to increase the viscosity of the hand sanitizer product. Carbomer is an agent that serves to increase the viscosity, while the glycerin serves to maintain moisture in the product, and also has other functions that are as a dekener agent.
7. For the suggested composition of 10 mL banana stem Extract + 15 grams of Trilosan + 15 mL Carbomer + 15 mL glycerin. Mix the ingredients until evenly (homogeneous).
8. After evenly save the hand sanitizer in a closed container (as desired). Hand sanitizer can be used immediately.

That's how the steps should be done to make a hand sanitizer made of banana rod. The products of hand sanitizer from banana stem in addition to the potent in killing germs is also safer when used. Alcohol content and Triklosan that is not very high make a hand sanitizer products made from banana stem will not cause irritation to the skin when used.

The use of hand sanitizer in bottle packaging in the community is usually not discharged. It Is important to know that Lama storage of hand sanitizer products can cause alcohol content in continuously reduced products will affect the quality of hand sanitizer in killing germs. This is because alcohol as an active ingredient is volatile. Therefore, in order to keep the hand sanitizer product effective when used, the hand sanitizer product should be spent in the longest time 2 weeks.

Reference:

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